Impact of changes in pruning practices on vine growth and yield

The universalization in wine production has been restricting the imprint of terroir in regional wines, resulting in loss of typicity. Microbes are the main driving force in wine production, conducting fermentation and originating a myriad of metabolites that underly wine aroma. Grape berries harbor an ecological niche composed of filamentous fungi, yeasts and bacteria, which are influenced by the ripening stage, cultivar and region. The research project GrapeMicrobiota gathers a consortium from University of Zaragoza, University of Minho and University of Tours and aims at the isolation of native yeast strains from berries of the wine region Douro, UNESCO World Heritage, towards the production of wines that stand out in the market for their authenticity and for reflecting their region of origin in their aroma.

The use of bees as pollinators in vine varieties with physiologically female flowers (Picolit, Bicane, Ceresa, Moscato rosa, etc.) (Cargnello, 1983) and as bio-indicators for biodiversity and environmental sustainability is well-known. Furthermore, there are interests in: 1-a. Making the viticulture of Belluno (Province of Veneto in North-eastern Italy, which is also famous for the Dolomites -a UNESCO World Heritage-) regain the socioeconomic role which it is entitled to and which it had got in its past by aiming at the enhancement of local grape variety in harmony with others, for example with the neighboring area of the Conegliano and Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG; 2-a. Maintaining and further improving the important natural and healthy environment of Belluno, and making its territory and the “lookout” means of the environmental sustainability, including its vineyards, even more naturally original and sustainable 4.1C.

Aim: Evaluating the effects of high amount of air injection during red wine fermentation process, on phenolic extraction dynamics, oxygen dissolution, phenolic compounds evolution, and oxidation of red wines.MethodsRed grapes musts were fermented in 100.000 L stainless steel tank, equipped with Parsec SRL “Air mixing” gas injection systems. For this experiment, treatments with two injection regimes, high and low intensity, and high and low daily frequency, were used. Oxygen analyzer was introduced into the tank to evaluate the gas concentration evolution along the fermentation.

The quality of red wine depends on the composition of polyphenols influencing wine color and taste. The question is, how much we must fear over extraction, especially of seed tannins, under cool climate conditions. The extraction of polyphenols from grape skins and grape seeds were investigated for the grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot noir

Rotundone is the main aroma compound responsible for peppery notes in red wine. This positive and very potent molecule has an odor threshold of 8 ng/L in water and 16 ng/L in red wine. It has been detected in several grape varieties with some of the highest concentrations recorded in Syrah, Duras, Tardif and Noiret, an interspecific hybrid grown in the North-East of the USA. If several winemaking practices have been identified to lower rotundone in wine, up to date, no enological solution has proved its efficiency to maximize it. This means that efforts to produce high rotundone wines must be undertaken in vineyards. This work provides practical ways that can be used by winegrowers to modulate rotundone levels in their wines.